World Minus Shinji
by gunman
Summary: When Third Impact happens, Shinji makes a deal with the Angels to restore everything. But in return, no one will remember who he is. ShinjiRei eventually.
1. The Deal

_**WORLD MINUS SHINJI**_

by Gunman

Disclaimer: I do not own Eva or it's characters.

Summary: When Third Impact happens, Shinji makes a deal with the Angels to restore everything. But in return, no one will remember who Shinji is. ShinjiRei eventually.

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Chapter 1

**The Deal**

On a desolate beach surrounded by a dark orange and red ocean sat Shinji Ikari, virtually the only human survivor of a initiated Third Impact. His only companions was a comatose redhead in a red plugsuit and bandages lying next to him. Across the ocean of LCL, staring skyward was the frozen face of Shinji's one-time love interest, Rei Ayanami.

Having been merged with Lilith, Rei was now a giant.

However, this left Shinji with one major problem: he was alone.

Third Impact had transformed the world's population into LCL, achieving what SEELE and Gendo had wished. SEELE had wanted to be forever immortal, and Gendo was reunited with his wife. The downside was that they were no longer human, or even remotely alive. To be honest, nothing was. And though Asuka was still with him and human, she was no longer conscious. Just Shinji.

Or so he thought.

"Hello, Shinji."

Shinji looked back and gasped when he saw Kaworu Nagisa hovering in mid-air, only a couple feet over the ground.

"K-Kaworu?!" Shinji gasped.

"I'm sure you are surprised to see me." the pale-skinned, gray-haired boy said.

"I... I thought I killed you."

"You did. However, now that mother is free, she was able to bring me back. And not only myself."

Shinji looked behind his former friend to see 16 other human-looking figures. However, if his experience with Kaworu had taught him anything...

"Are they..." he started to ask.

"Yes. The Angels that you and the other Eva pilots killed."

"But mostly you." the largest of the group, Sahaqiel the Angel of the Sky, said, looking like a rather hefty sumo wrestler.

Shinji sighed as the group hovered around him. "Are you here to kill me, then?" he asked.

"No." a soft voice said to him.

Shinji looked confused as a beautiful and mature looking woman in a flowing white dress hovered forward.

"Despite all that has passed between us and the Lilium, it is not in our nature to hold an everlasting grudge against them. Especially you, Shinji Ikari." Lilith said.

"But why not? I mean... I'm the son of the man who held you prisoner inside NERV. The son of the man responsible for Second and Third Impact. Aren't his sins mine?" Shinji asked. "And for that matter, didn't I kill most of you anyway? Shouldn't you be mad at me?"

Lilith only smiled. "You are far too hard on yourself, child. Your father's sins are his and his alone."

"But you are right about killing most of us." Sachiel, the Third Angel of Water, said, looking like a robust 18th Century sailor holding a spear in his hands.

"Despite that, I fear you will have to pay a price." Adam said, hovering before Shinji wearing a suit like that of the Sub-Commander.

"A price? For what?" Shinji asked.

"For rebuilding the world." Israfel, The Seventh Angel of Music, said, dressed up like he was Mozart from his time period.

"What?" Shinji asked.

"We have talked it over..." Gaghiel, The Sixth Angel of Fish, said, looking like a seven-foot tall Olympic swimmer.

"Extensively!" Zeruel, The Fourteenth Angel of Might, said, looking like a Roman gladiator, complete with sword and shield.

"...And we have decided to rebuild the world." Matriel, The Ninth Angel of Rain, said, looking like a psychic medium dressed in monks robes, complete with Third Eye in the middle of his forehead.

"What? The entire world?" Shinji gasped.

"Yes." Sachiel said.

"Even the people?"

"Yes." Bardiel, The Thirteenth Angel of Hail and Lightning, said, looking like a Grammaton Cleric from the movie 'Equilibrium'.

"But... why? After everything that we've done to you? Why would you give us a second chance?" Shinji asked.

"It is not exactly giving you a second chance." Israfel stated.

"We're going to make a few changes." Sahaquiel said.

"Changes? What changes?" Shinji asked.

"1-There will be no evidence of Angel presence in your world." Sachiel-third angel of water, controller of storms

"2-NERV will not exist." Ramiel, The Fifth Angel of Mercy and Controller of Thunder, said, looking like a fully armored military soldier.

"3-The Eva's will not exist." Shamshel, The Fourth Angel of Day, said, looking like a Zorro from the old movie 'The Mask of Zorro'. (The Antonio Banderas Zorro)

"4-SEELE will not exist." Gaghiel said.

"5-Second Impact will never have happened." Israfel said.

"Which means that 3 billion humans will never have been killed." Sandalphon, The Eighth Angel of Embryos, (the one from the volcano) said, looking like a man wearing heat-resistant suit said.

"And 6-you, Shinji Ikari." Adam said.

"Me?"

"Yes. You are the one who have defeated the most of us." Zeruel said.

"And as a result of all this, you will be the only human being who will be left virtually untouched." Ariel, The Fifteenth Angel of Birds, said, looking like a woman with an extendible hang glider on his back.

"What? But why me?" Shinji asked.

"That is complicated to explain without explaining our plan." Kaworu said.

"As you know, the entire planet has been transformed into LCL. From this we can rebuild everything that has been lost. Rebuild everyone that has died. Except you, who are not LCL." Sandalphon said.

"Except me? Wait! What about Asuka?" Shinji asked, looking at her motionless body still lying on the gritty sand.

"She will be more difficult than the others, as she is in a form of traumatized shock from her battle with the Mass Produced Evangelions." Ariel stated.

"But since she is in a state of shock, her mind can more easily be altered to forget the events of the last 15 years. It will be as if she has lived a normal life along with everyone else." Matriel said.

"Normal. That would have been nice." Shinji mumbled.

"However, we cannot erase your memories when we alter the world." Armisael-sixteenth angel of the womb

"But why?"

"Do you remember when you were absorbed by Unit 01 for an entire month?" Sachiel asked.

"No."

"You don't?" Leliel, The Twelve Angel of Night, said, looking like an African woman in a white and black dress.

"I remember what everyone told me, but I don't remember it happening." Shinji said.

"Regardless, it has caused your mind to become immune to our ability to warp reality." Adam said.

"Therefore, you will ultimately exist outside of the reconstruction of your world." Sachiel said.

"Huh?" Shinji asked, not really getting the point they were trying to make.

"This means... you will not be part of the memories of the people we will be reviving." Israfel said.

"In essence... you will be forgotten." Gaghiel said.

"No one will remember you. Not your friends, your former co-workers, even your family. You will have no identity in this world, save for your own thoughts and memories." Lilith said.

"Which is hardly an appropriate punishment for what you have done." Zeruel said.

"Brother!" Kaworu snapped.

"Hey, you didn't get eaten alive by his giant robot!" the gladiator snapped.

"No I just got my head torn off!" the boy shouted.

"Oh cry me a river!"

"Children!" Lilith shouted at the pair.

"Sorry." they said in unison.

Shinji took this into account as he faced the Angels.

"But... the rest of the world will be reborn? They'll be alive?" he asked them.

"Yes." Matriel said.

"And you will be the key to their rebirth." Ramiel said.

"Huh? Me? How?" Shinji asked.

"Because you are human." Adam answered.

"Your DNA sequence will be essential, a basis that we can use to rebuild all of mankind." Ireul, the Eleventh Angel of Fear, said, looking like a male version of Dr Akagi, labcoat and all.

"While our genetic coding is similar, there are subtle differences that place us apart." Shamshel said.

"As a result, we cannot adequately reconstruct the human race, without you." Armisael, the Sixteenth Angel of the Womb, said, looking like a tall, skinny, almost boney, contortionist.

"What about Asuka?" Shinji asked.

"This is a conscientious decision, Shinji. Free will is one of the things that makes your species more unique than every other species on Earth." Kaworu said.

"And since Asuka is not conscious enough to choose, you must do this." Lilith said.

While Shinji wasn't the greatest thinker on the planet, which wasn't saying much since he was the _only_ conscious one right now, a part of him wondered why they needed him at all if they had the ability to rebuild the world. Them needing his DNA was understandable, but not his permission.

Nevertheless...

"Alright. I accept." he said.

With those words, the Angels simultaneously glowed and blinded Shinji with light.

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Author's Notes:

Okay, I know this is rather odd, but I couldn't help writing this one up. And I know I have a lot of other stories out there that are demanding updates. I'm working on them, I promise. But I couldn't help writing this one up and uploading it on 8-8-08. It was just too much fun.

Also, this is a Shinji and Rei story, but that will come later. And as far as I can determine, this will probably be a 7-chapter story. So there's that for everyone to look forward to.

Below are the list of Angels, names, listings, and designations.

Adam-the first angel, father to all

Lilith-the second angel, mother to all

Sachiel-third angel of water, controller of storms. Destroyed by Shinji and Unit 01.

Shamshel-fourth angel of day, chief protector of the garden of Eden. Destroyed by Shinji and Unit 01.

Ramiel-fifth angel of mercy, controller of thunder. Destroyed by Shinji and Rei in their Eva's.

Gaghiel-sixth angel of fish. Destroyed by Shinji and Asuka in Unit 02.

Israfel-seventh angel of music. Destroyed by Shinji and Asuka in their Eva's.

Sandalphon-eighth angel of embryos, angel of glory and prayer. Destroyed by Asuka in Unit 02.

Matriel-ninth angel of rain. Destroyed by all three Children working together.

Sahaquiel-tenth angel of the sky. Destroyed by Asuka in Unit 02 after Shinji and Unit 01 caught it.

Ireul-eleventh angel of fear. Destroyed by Dr Akagi.

Leliel-twelfth angel of night. Destroyed by Shinji and Unit 01.

Bardiel-thirteenth angel of hail and lightning. Destroyed by Dummy Plug of Unit 01.

Zeruel-fourteenth angel of might. Destroyed by Shinji and Unit 01.

Ariel-fifteenth angel of birds. Destroyed by Rei in Unit 00.

Armisael-sixteenth angel of the womb. Destroyed by Rei and Unit 00.

Tabris-seventeenth angel of free will. Destroyed by Shinji in Unit 01.


	2. The New World

_**WORLD MINUS SHINJI**_

by Gunman

Disclaimer: I do not own Eva or it's characters.

Summary: Shinji receives a shock when he finds out that not only does everyone not know him, but even his own parents don't know him.

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Chapter 2

**The New World**

Shinji blinked his eyes open, half expecting to see another unfamiliar ceiling. He was greeted to a pleasant sight of the magnificent city of Tokyo-3 all around him. The sky was blue and the white clouds hung in the air, showing no sign that there would be rain today.

Shinji quickly moved into the city, seeing every building, street, traffic light, mail box, billboard, planted tree, and telephone pole lined up all around him. People were walking through the streets, birds were chirping and flittering about, dogs and cats were wandering here and there, planes were soaring high up through the sky, and various cars, trucks, and vans were roaring their engines as they drove down the streets of the city.

_It's as if the war with the Angels never happened!_ Shinji thought as he continued to move through the city.

He paused when he heard the familiar roar of a car engine roar down the street and pull up right in front of him.

"About time I found you!" Misato Katsuragi shouted as she got out of the car.

"Uh... Misato?" Shinji gasped as the woman ran around her car towards him...and dashed past him right into the liquor store she had been searching for.

Curious, Shinji followed her into the store and say her drop three 24-pack cases of beer onto the counter.

"Again, Ms Katsuragi?" the store clerk asked.

"What? I'm a paying customer!" Misato said as she glanced at her watch. "Now hurry up! I have class in like... **ten minutes**!"

"Honestly!" the clerk grumbled. "Who ever heard of a school teacher buying beer this early in the morning?"

"Well, you, for one!" she said.

"But you were just in here yesterday!" he argued.

"I know. I drank it already." she said sheepishly.

"A whole case in less than a day? I don't believe it." the clerk said in disbelief.

_I can._ Shinji thought as Misato paid for the beer and grabbed the cases.

"Hey! You! Kid!" Misato barked at Shinji.

"Huh? Me?" Shinji gasped.

"Yeah, you! Be a doll and open the passenger door of my car for me, would you?"

"Uh... okay." Shinji said as he grabbed the door to the blue Renault and opened it up.

Misato put the three cases of beer into the passenger seat. Shinji closed the door and turned to Misato, who grabbed his hand and stuck a wad of small bills into his hand.

"Huh? What's this for?" Shinji asked, looking at the money.

"For helping me out, and for keeping this to yourself." she said with a smile. "You know, you're kinda cute. If you were a little older I'd invite you to have a drink with me. Hey, maybe I'll see you at school. You look new. I'm Misato, by the way. Misato..."

"Katsuragi." he finished.

"How did you..." she started to ask, sure she didn't know him.

"I overheard the clerk say your name." he said quickly.

"Oh. Right. OH MY GOD! I'M LATE! Sorry, kiddo! I've gotta go!" she cried as she jumped into her car and burned rubber down the street.

_She didn't know me. At all._ Shinji thought as he saw her run a red light, wondering if this was a good thing, or a bad one.

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Shinji spent the next hour leafing through the phone book trying to locate all the people he used to know in NERV. He knew that the secret organization didn't exist now, but the people still had to.

He managed to find Ritsuko Akagi working at the local hospital, and she was apparently their chief surgeon.

Maya Ibuki also worked at the hospital as the admitting secretary.

Makoto Hyuga was a computer repair technician.

Shigeru Aoba ran a music store in downtown Tokyo-3.

Ryoji Kaji worked at the local newspaper, The Tokyo-Three (T-3) Tribune, as a reporter.

And Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki was a college history professor at Tokyo-2 University.

He stopped there, figuring that the other people he knew were probably still in school. So he headed there.

When he eventually arrived, he saw his old friends, the ever lovely and fiery Asuka Langley Sohryu taking to her best friend and class rep Hikari Horaki. Behind them were Toji Suzuhara who had his ears plugged into his MP3, as well as the ability to walk, and Kensuke Aida next to him trying to chew his ear off talking about the new model warplane he had gotten.

He was about to say hi, when he realized that if Misato didn't know him, then they wouldn't either.

"Stupid Baka!" Asuka suddenly shouted.

At first Shinji thought she was talking to him, until he saw Asuka strike Kensuke on the head.

"OUCH!" Kensuke shouted in pain.

"You deserve it, you damned otaku! Now get your freaking model airplane out of Hikari's hair!" Asuka shouted at the boy as she tried to untangle the rebuilt piece of plastic from the other girls hair.

Shinji sighed as he watched the group pass him by. None of them seemed to notice him as they did. He wondered if they would have if they weren't distracted. Or if they had their memories back. While it was a relief that Kensuke and Toji weren't bothering him like they would have, about Eva and/or Misato, he was a little upset that Asuka didn't recognize him anymore.

He had come to accept the whole 'baka' thing as her personal nickname for him.

As he watched them walk past him, he sighed sadly, until he heard a girls voice scream behind him.

"SHINJI-KUN! SHINJI-KUN!" the familiar voice of Rei Ayanami shouted from behind.

Shinji turned around to see Rei, dressed in her traditional school uniform with the same short blue hair and radiate red eyes, running up to him.

"Rei-chan?" he gasped. _Does she still remember me? But how could she? It thought the Angels had wiped out her memory as well. Unless she somehow regained them from her being part Angel, but ..._ he thought as Rei approached him... and ran right past him. "Huh?"

Shinji turned around and saw Rei rush into the arms of another boy. He was a little taller than Shinji, with the same hair and eye color, though his hair was a bit longer. Shinji stared in shock as Rei kissed the boy on the lips, smiling widely and brightly as he had never seen before.

Shinji felt his heart drop at seeing the girl he cared for kissing someone else. Even the small part of him couldn't take much comfort in the fact that, while she was happy, Rei's new boyfriend was also named Shinji.

Shinji sighed as he watched them walk into the school building, hand-in-hand with the blue-haired girl leaning her head on the boys shoulder.

_She looks so happy. I've never seen her that happy._ Shinji thought sadly, a tear almost coming to his eye as he saw them walk off. _That could have been me._

However, what happened next shocked Shinji to the core.

As Shinji turned around to leave, he froze when he saw two additional people walking towards the school.

The first one was his father, beard and tinted glasses still, and he was actually smiling. He had never seen his father smile as if he were actually happy, and that was shocking enough. But he suddenly realized why that was as he noticed the person next to him, with her arm around his own.

"M-m-mother?" he gasped as he took in the brown-haired, warm-eyed image of Yui Ikari walking up to him.

Memories of his childhood came back to him, of the lovely young woman before him holding him, singing to him, and always smiling at him. His heart continued to beat as the pair approached him.

"Excuse me, young man, you're in our way." Gendo said as both he and Yui stopped in front of Shinji.

"Are you alright, young man?" Yui asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Uh... I..." Shinji tried to regain his power of speech. "Do you know me?" he managed to get out.

The pair looked at him strangely.

"Hmm. I don't believe so. Are you a new student here?" Gendo asked.

"Uh... yes! I'm Shinji Ikari!" he said, then mentally slugged himself for saying that.

"Oh. Well, I'm Yui Rokobungi, your science teacher." Yui said.

"And I'm Gendo Rokobungi, your principal." Gendo said.

"Pleased to meet you." Shinji said with a bow, still not believing this. "But... You really don't know me?"

"I don't." Gendo said.

"Mot–Mrs Rokobungi?" Shinji quickly corrected himself.

"Hmm. You do look a little familiar. Are you related to Naoko Akagi, the math teacher?"

"Uh... no." Shinji replied, his heart faltering even more as she answered him.

"Oh. Then I guess we don't know you." Yui said with a straight face.

"Not even... do you have any children?" he suddenly asked.

Gendo glowered at the boy. "Why are you asking such a personal question, boy?"

"Uh... you just... look like a... family couple." Shinji stuttered.

"Oh, no! We've never had children in our entire lives. I'd definitely remember that." Yui said.

_No children? None?_ Shinji thought.

"Yes, and we're much happier for it." Gendo answered him. "Come along, dear, we'll be late for class." he said to his wife. "And you'd better get going too, Mr Ikari! Don't want to be late for first period."

The pair walked off towards the school, leaving an upset and distraught Shinji to just shed tears and take off in a dead run down the streets of the city.

_They don't know me! None of them! Not Even My Own Mother!_

Shinji cried as he ran, pounding the concrete streets of the city with his feet, not stopping until he eventually came to the overlook of the city, where Misato had taken him after his first battle with the Angels.

_I wasn't prepared for this! _Shinji cried as he knelt down onto his knees and cried his heart out. _I wasn't ready! I thought I was but... I wasn't ready for this! They don't know me! None of them! Not Misato, not Rei, not even my own MOTHER! _

Shinji cried for several more minutes, feeling no better about his situation, and feeling truly alone in the world today. Eventually he realized the obviousness of his situation.

The world had been remade. Everything, from the buildings, the trees, the lakes, the people all, minus himself. There was no Shinji Ikari in this world, and what was worse, it was something he had agreed to. He had made the deal with the Angels, a conscious decision, to help rebuild the world as it had been before Second Impact.

And to make worse his predicament, he had no part in it. Everything he had known, everyone from his family and friends, went on without him there. And what's more, they seemed happy.

Shinji rose up off his feet and wiped the tears from his red-rimmed eyes as he took one last look at the city he had previously called home.

"I hope you all are happy." he said before turning his back on the city of Tokyo-3, and walking away from it forever.

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Authors Notes:

Pretty sad, isn't it? Hopefully that was what I succeeded in writing here as a prelude/buildup to a more dramatic story.

The next chapter will feature both Rei and Misato, and this is still a Shinji/Rei pairing, even though Rei doesn't remember Shinji as yet. And just so everyone knows, Rei is human in this, despite still looking the same as she did before.

And as always, let me know what you think of this chapter before you move on.


	3. Remembering Shinji

_**WORLD MINUS SHINJI**_

by Gunman

Disclaimer: I do not own Eva or it's characters.

Summary: One month after Shinji leaves Misato and Rei suddenly regain their memories of Shinji and desperately go to find him.

Authors Notes: It is important to know that it has been a whole month since Shinji left. That is also significant in the story and all.

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Chapter 3

**Remembering Shinji**

Misato yawned loudly as she scratched her exposed belly while exiting her room.

"Morning, Shinji-kun! Is breakfast ready yet?" she called out.

However, she got no answer.

Curious she went into the kitchen and saw that no one was there and nothing was being made.

"Shinji-kun?" she called out again.

Misato went to Shinji's room, only to find it bare. As if no one had ever been there.

"Did he run away again?" she thought fearfully as she went to find her phone.

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Rei was just getting out of the shower at her clean apartment when Shinji Tano arrived to pick her up.

"Hey, Rei-chan!" Shinji said with a smile.

"You're early." Rei said, the towel modestly wrapped around her body.

"I'm willing to wait." he said as he stepped into the apartment following Rei. "Then again, why wait?" he said as he grabbed her arm and pulled her into a flush kiss.

However, Rei was still dripping wet and the sudden action caught her off guard, causing her to slip and fall down, taking Shinji with her. The towel fell from her body as he fell on top of her, his hand coming down to 'accidentally' touch her breast.

The instant it did though, the expression in Rei's eyes changed. The life and happiness they had once held vanished, replaced by the cold, emotionless orbs that she once had.

"Get off of me." she said in a cool monotone voice.

"What?" Shinji Tano said.

"Get off of me." she repeated.

"Uh... alright." he said as he got off her body.

"Leave." Rei said once she had stood up, unashamed of her nudity.

"Wha... look Rei I'm sorry I..."

"Leave at once or I will be forced to call Section 2."

"Section Who?"

"Not 'Who', 2. Now leave."

Shinji Tano slowly leaves as Rei looks around her apartment.

"This is wrong." she stated and went looking for her clothes.

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At virtually the same time, Misato had picked up the phone and dialed Ritsuko's number.

"Ritsuko? It's Misato. I think Shinji's run away again." she said to the doctor.

(Who?) Ritsuko asked on the other end.

"Shinji! Shinji Ikari! The Third Child?"

(Third Child of what?)

"Ritz, I'm not in the mood for games."

(Then stop playing games and tell me what you want.)

Misato then spent several minutes exasperatingly trying to explain who Shinji was, his importance to NERV, and his job as an Evangelion pilot.

Naturally Ritsuko had only one response.

(Misato... what whacked out, religiously over-toned science fiction show were you watching when you got plastered last night?) Ritsuko asked.

"Ritsuko, this is serious. Shinji isn't here!" Misato shouted.

(Misato, let me explain this very simply. There is no organization called NERV. There are no giant robots called Evangelions. There are no giant monsters called Angels. The worlds population is at 6.3 billion right now. Antarctica still exists. And I've never heard of this Shinji Ikari before.)

"How can you say that? You were his medical doctor for nearly a year!"

(Misato, I'm a doctor at Tokyo-3 Medical. You are a high school teacher of questionable activities. Everything you've just said sounds totally loony. So I'll do you a favor. I'll write you a doctors note, you stay home and sober up and hopefully you won't lose your job. I'll even contact the school for you. Okay? Good-bye.)

Ritsuko hung up the phone, leaving a stunned Misato on the other line.

_What the hell is going on?_ She wondered.

She got dressed quickly, forgoing her beer as her concern rested with Shinji. She vaguely wondered where PenPen was, not waddling out in order to find his food.

(She had no way of knowing that when the Angels remade the world, PenPen got his own 'show' at the local zoo, where he was apparently a very big star)

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Misato drove her car into the city, where she met up with and talked to several people she knew. But what's wrong is that they have no idea what she's talking about.

Kaji didn't know anything about NERV or Shinji, though that didn't stop him flirting with Misato and promising her he'd look into it. (Misato held out little hope of him trying to help her) Shigeru and Makoto had no idea who Shinji was. Maya, like Ritsuko, thought that Misato had lost it. Fuyutsuki in Tokyo-2 had never heard of anyone by that name. And even Asuka, Hikari, Toji and Kensuke had no idea what she was talking about.

At her wits end, Misato went over to Rei's 'old apartment' hoping to find the girl there. It was a thin hope, but it was all she had.

As Misato reached the 4th Floor of the seemingly rundown apartment building, she sighed with some exasperation as she found that the blue-haired girl was nowhere to be found. Her apartment was empty, as dirty as Shinji had often described it.

Misato stepped out of the apartment and sighed, wondering where Rei could be, until she heard a familiar monotone voice.

"Hello, Major." Rei said, stepped out of the stairwell.

"Oh, thank god, Rei, there you are!" Misato said happily. "Do you... remember me?"

"You are Major Misato Katsuragi, director of operations for the Angel Defense Agency called NERV." Rei said. "Yes, I do remember you."

"That's a relief. But where have you been?"

"I have just returned from your apartment. I had questions I wished to address to you. Where is Ikari-kun?"

"That's what I want to know. I just spent a good part of the morning talking to everyone I can find, and they don't know anything. About the Eva's, the Angels, Second Impact, Third Impact, NERV, even Shinji."

"NERV does not exist."

Misato looked at the girl. "Is that a guess or a fact?"

"I have spent the last few hours trying to locate the entrance's to NERV, without success. The emergency entrances as well do not exist." Rei explained.

"Like the whole freaking place was never built." Misato mused with some upset in her voice. "No one remembers anything, NERV doesn't exist... and Shinji is missing."

"That is the most troubling news."

"What? Shinji missing?"

"Yes. NERV does not exist, and most likely the Evangelions are gone as well. Yet, the people we remember still remain. One would conclude logically that Ikari-kun would also exist."

"Unless... he's somewhere else... or never came to Tokyo-3." Misato said. "I mean... if NERV didn't exist, there wouldn't be a reason for Shinji to come to Tokyo-3, right? But how does that... wait! Didn't we all die?" she suddenly asked.

"I... believe we did." Rei said.

"ARGH! This is too confusing. It's like there are two different sets of memories in my head and I can't sort them through to see which is the real one!" Misato groaned as she held her head.

"Yes. I am also recalling a different set of memories. Such as...I remembered that I once lived here. I had hoped that if anyone else remembered, I thought that I would have to be in a place that they would think to look for me." Rei said.

"That makes sense. But... what now? Everyone I've spoken with doesn't remember anything."

"Yes. When I spoke with the Second Child and the other students at school, they did not remember anything of the Angels, the Evangelion's, or Ikari-kun either."

"Yeah. But... we do."

The pair looked at each other for a few seconds, trying to piece together this strange puzzle with what limited clues they had at their disposal.

"But what does this mean? Why only us?" Misato asked.

"I do not know... but I have an idea." Rei said.

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"Oh! Please come in, Misato." Yui Rokobungi said, allowing a calm Rei and a shocked Misato to enter her house.

What shocked the woman even more was the fact that Commander Gendo Ikari, now Principal Gendo Rokobungi, was there and happily living with his wife. As she and Rei were walking through the house, she noticed several pictures on the walls and mantle, of only Gendo and Yui. Not one of Shinji. This was starting to make her nervous.

The pair were escorted into the living room where Yui brought out a tray of drinks for them.

"I have to say that it's a little unusual to see both a teacher and a student in my house on a Saturday. So... what can I do for you?" Yui asked.

"Uh... where's your son?" Misato asked bluntly.

Granted Misato could have started off slowly, asking about things like NERV, the Angels, and the Evangelions, but as the most prominent thought on her mind was Shinji, she chose to start there.

"My what?" Yui gasped as Gendo looked over from the bookcase he was standing at.

"Katsuragi, have you been drinking again?" Gendo asked.

"Not today, sir." she said.

"Unusual." he mused.

"I'm sure. But I'm serious. Sir."

"We haven't thought about our child since the miscarriage." Yui said, now sad at this topic.

"Miscarriage?" Rei asked.

"Yes. When I got pregnant I was so happy at the prospect of having a child... I even knew its gender. But then... I suddenly miscarried. It took me years to get over that. It's strange, isn't it? To feel so sad over a child that you never gave birth to?" Yui said, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"And I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave." Gendo said. "You're upsetting my wife."

Misato looked over to Rei, who nodded.

"Of course." Misato said as she stood up.

"One last question." Rei said before going.

"Yes?" Yui asked.

"What was the gender of your child?"

"...It was a boy." she said sadly.

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Misato and Rei were riding down the road in Misato's blue Renault trying to figure out what to do now. The whole situation was just weird to them, and all they had was another piece to a very strange puzzle.

"What do we do now?" Rei asked the older woman.

"I don't know, Rei. I really don't know." Misato sighed as she finally pulled up to the lookout over Tokyo-3.

"There is something that is puzzling." Rei said.

"_Something_? I'd say a lot of some things. But what's on your mind right now?"

"Everyone we have come into contact with does not remember NERV, or the Angels, or the Eva's. But most importantly, they do not remember Ikari-kun. Yet we do." she said, once again stating the obvious.

"Yeah. I mean, I remember being NERV's director of operations, but at the same time I remember being a school teacher. Yet, everyone else we've talked to seems to have only one set of memories. It's like the other ones were... erased. They don't even remember Shinji. But we do, and it seems like only us. Why us?" Misato asked.

"Perhaps... because we are the most concerned for him. Because we cared for him more than other people did." Rei mused.

"Yeah. Asuka never gave a damn about him... Toji and Kensuke pretty much used him... his own father used him... even Kaji used him to get back into my good graces."

"You mean, 'your panties'." Rei said bluntly.

Misato scowled at the girl, realizing that she was not as ignorant about certain things others said while around her.

"Yeah, right. But what about his mother? Yui had no idea who we were talking about."

"She remembers that she miscarried a son while in birth."

"But she supposedly died when Shinji was only four. We remember him as if it were yesterday."

"Perhaps that is the answer."

"What answer?"

"Yui did care for Ikari-kun, but our interactions with him were much more recent. Her interactions with him were of ten years ago... when she was absorbed by Unit 01."

"While that makes sense, it doesn't explain how we're the ones who remember Shinji now. Or why everything has been... restored."

"Perhaps I can help." a new voice said.

The pair gasped as they stared at the young man standing next to Misato's window.

"My name is Kaworu Nagisa... I am the 17th Angel." the young man in the grayish suit said.

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Authors Notes:

Not much I can say about this chapter. Hope everyone enjoyed the read. And I hope no one minds that I uploaded it right after Chapter 2. I really wanted to get this out as soon as possible. With any luck I'll have chapter three up the same day.

And as always, leave me a review.


	4. The Explanation

_**WORLD MINUS SHINJI**_

by Gunman

Disclaimer: I do not own Eva or it's characters.

Summary: Kaworu explains to Misato and Rei all of what happened, and both of them leave to find Shinji.

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Chapter 4

**The Explanation**

"You!" Misato hissed, jumping out of the car and reaching for her now nonexistent gun.

"It is good to see you alive, Major. First Child. How do you like the world we made for you?" Kaworu asked the pair once they were out of the car.

"The world you... so all this is your doing?" Misato gasped.

"Yes. Everything back to the way it was, before Second Impact." Kaworu said.

"Which means..."

"The world we knew, which included NERV and the Evangelion's, does not exist." Rei said.

"Correct." Kaworu nodded.

"Yet... we remember them." Misato said.

"Yes. I'm sorry for that. I'm sure everyone you've talked to about this has you marked as insane."

"You can say that again, buddy boy!"

"I will refrain from actually repeating myself, but apologize nonetheless."

"Apologize? You've left mankind defenseless against your attacks!" Misato shouted.

"Actually, we have no intention of attacking you." Kaworu said.

"You don't? Why?"

"Because... you have Lilith." Rei stated.

"Correct again."

"I remember that!" Misato gasped. "Lilith... was being held in Terminal Dogma in NERV... and you were coming to free her."

"Yes. We have her now. And with her we were able to alter the world."

It was then that Misato got angry. "YOU! It Was You! You Did Something To Shinji! You somehow got rid of NERV and the Eva's, but you also got rid of the only one who's beaten you more than anyone else!"

Kaworu sighed as she said that. "Well... yes and no."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I was afraid the bargain that we struck with Shinji would be too much for him to handle. And I was right."

"What about Shinji? What did you do to him?" Misato shouted.

"And what deal do you speak of?" Rei asked.

"Well... simply put... we made a deal with Shinji Ikari to remake the world. You see, when Third Impact happened, mother was freed and used her powers to resurrect us all. Despite what the Lilium had done to us, we were saddened by what you ultimately did to yourselves. Shinji and the Second Child were all that was left of mankind. But since Shinji was nothing but a pawn in this entire affair, we offered him a deal."

"Wait! You offered Shinji a deal? After everything that happened?"

"As I said, Shinji-kun was nothing but a pawn in his father's machinations. Even in battle, he never truly wronged us."

"Never wronged you? Didn't he _kill_ most of you?"

"Yes. But even in battle, a person can be truly honest."

"Oooookay. While I'm willing to accept that, it's a stretch."

"I'm sure."

"What was the deal you made with Ikari-kun?" Rei asked.

"That we would restore the entire world and mankind. To what it was prior to Second Impact."

"What?" Misato gasped.

"You did all this. For Ikari-kun?" Rei asked.

"Well, it wasn't easy." Kaworu smiled.

"No. I don't believe you'd do this out of the kindness of your hearts. What was the catch?" Misato asked.

Kaworu smiled. "You see the truth of things."

"What do you mean by that?"

"There was a condition, a price to be paid for what we were offering."

"Of course. There's always a price."

"What was the price?"

"Shinji."

"Huh?"

"You see, because he was the only conscious individual at the time, not to mention his absorbtion by Eva 01 made him immune to our ability to warp reality, as well as alter all of your memories, he was basically... unaffected by our restructuring."

"Shinji was the only person unaffected by you rebuilding the world." Misato mused.

"Yes. The other Angels thought it would be a fitting punishment, despite how he was used by both NERV and SEELE in this entire affair."

"Fitting punishment? What do you mean by that?" Misato demanded.

"Well, it was Shinji who destroyed most of us. Some of the other Angels wanted him to suffer as a result." Kaworu said.

"But you just said that Ikari-kun was used by both NERV and SEELE. This would make him an innocent." Rei stated.

"Yeah! So why would he bare the brunt of your anger?" Misato asked.

"It was not anger, exactly. You see, while we eventually agreed that Shinji was indeed a pawn in this war, he was the only one who came out of Third Impact unscathed. Whether by skill or luck, we saw in him hope that mankind could survive. Despite the people around him."

"The people around him?" Misato asked.

"Yes. The people around him. From his estranged father, his doctor, his guardian, his classmates, his fellow pilots, even his own mother. All of whom had used Shinji in one form or another."

"Now wait a minute! Yui Loved Shinji!" Misato shouted.

"Then she should not have abandoned him when she did." Kaworu said easily.

"She only did that so that she could protect Shinji!"

"Yui Ikari was a smart woman. She would have found another way to go about it. By allowing herself to be absorbed by the Eva, she was avoiding her motherly responsibilities."

Before Misato could continue to argue, Rei preempted her.

"And this was the price you made Ikari-kun pay for the planets restoration?" Rei asked.

"Yes. But he did not have a choice. His mind could not be affected by our reality warping powers. And even knowing this, Shinji agreed that this was the best course of action."

"You mean... he accepted that no one would remember him?" Misato gasped.

"Yes. His existence, all memories of him, were to be erased from mankind."

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Misato shouted as she leaped at the boy, knocking him down as her hands were wrapped around his neck.

"That's not going to do you a lot of good." Kaworu said, seemingly unaffected by all this.

"YOU HAD NO RIGHT!" she shouted as she kept squeezing.

"It was either this, or he be killed."

"What?" she gasped, her grip weakening. "But... you just said that Shinji was a pawn. That he never wronged you."

"While this is true, that he was a pawn and the most honest of you Lilium in battle, he was mostly responsible for our demise's. Those of us whom he killed wanted some form of punishment to be administered. Most wished for his death. Just like you Lilium, we Angels tend to be... bothered by people who are directly responsible for our... injuries. However, mother and I were able to convince them all that not being remembered by all of mankind was perhaps worse for him."

Misato was glaring daggers, darts, bolts, and bullets at the gray-haired boy.

"You created Yui's miscarriage." she said.

"Yes. She does not remember ever having a child. And she seems quite happy about that." Kaworu said.

"That's a lie! We brought up the subject and the woman was on the verge of tears!"

"Being reminded of what she lost, so very long ago, would do that to any woman."

"I do not understand." Rei said.

"What don't you understand?" Kaworu asked.

"If Ikari-kun's existence has been erased from the memories of all who knew him... why do the Major and I remember him?"

Kaworu smiled. "Because that was my doing."

"What?" Misato gasped.

"While Shinji had been hurt so many times by virtually all those around him, even by the two of you, I couldn't let him be forgotten so easily. Therefore, I arranged it so that you would eventually remember him."

"But why us? According to you, we're as guilty of treating Shinji as bad as everyone else." Misato said.

"That may have been true in the beginning, but as time past your feelings for him changed. They became more honest than those of everyone around him." Kaworu said.

"So... that's why we remember Shinji?"

"Yes. However, when the world was remade, none of you, even his own mother, didn't remember him. This has caused some... stress to weigh in on the boy since he left Tokyo-3 a month ago."

"A month ago... oh my god! The liquor store!"

"Yes. You didn't remember him then, but I made it so that you would now."

"But why now?"

"Because... a situation has occurred that requires that which only you can give him." Kaworu said cryptically.

"Only we can give him?" Misato asked, confused.

"Where is Ikari-kun now?" Rei asked.

"I can't tell you where exactly, but you might want to start in Kyoto."

With that, Kaworu vanished.

"We must hurry, Major." Rei said.

"Yeah, I know. But Kyoto isn't a little town, Rei. It'll be impossible to find him." Misato argued as the pair got back into the Renault.

"I disagree, Major. Ikari-kun is intelligent and fairly resourceful. But if his identity has been erased, he has no birth certificate, no credit cards, and no relatives to speak of..."

"Oh, course! The places he could actually be will be limited. Places where vagrants and homeless people go." Misato grinned as she turned the engine over and roared down the road.

"Precisely." Rei said.

"Does that logical mind of yours ever get you down?"

"No. We must hurry."

"Right away, Ms Spock."

"Spock?" Rei asked with some confusion as Misato accelerated down the road.

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Author's Notes:

Yes. Rei and Misato finally know everything and are on their way to find Shinji. The next chapter will be a while, so hopefully these updates will entertain you. And also, I have other stories that need updating as well.

Anyway, I hope everyone likes the story so far and will give me good reviews.


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